gia0203's reviews
140 reviews

The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

not for everyone - I didn’t even think it was for me at first. but the more I read, the more I enjoyed it, and the more intimately attached to the book I became. weird and wonderful. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Violence

The Troop by Nick Cutter

challenging dark tense medium-paced

4.5

kept seeing this recommended and for good reason.  gross, unflinching reflection on hunger. the reveals about the experiments and the motivations of the people behind them were perhaps the most disturbing parts of this novel 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death

Devil House by John Darnielle

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

2.0

loose threads that are never quite pulled together. seeds that don’t quite bloom. this was an intriguing and thoughtful look at the morality of true crime, but it ultimately tries to do too much. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Scanlines by Todd Keisling

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated

4.5

I loved this book and then I read the afterword and I loved it even more. worked well because it was a simple concept carried out in a wonderfully creepy way. touched on how easy it is to be traumatised by what you see online. possession as a metaphor 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide

Moderate: Gore

Good Neighbors by Sarah Langan

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

thrilling book about hysteria and family. I loved all of it from start to finish, particularly when we delved into rhea’s perspective and her relationship with gertie . frustrating and disturbing and sometimes even heartfelt

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Self harm, Suicide, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy

Minor: Classism

The Perfect Child by Lucinda Berry

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

another take on the “evil adopted child”, though at times this book went beyond cliches. once in a while it touched on interesting questions but there was just too much blame put on the child. I wonder if that was purposeful or not.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death

Idol, Burning by Rin Usami

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book was so empathetic. I felt with all my heart the suffering Akari went through - her hatred towards herself, her sadness at losing the one thing that held her up, and the pain that comes with growing up. Each line of this book felt carefully crafted. Fantastic.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Vomit

Moderate: Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Death

Tell Me I'm Worthless by Alison Rumfitt

challenging dark emotional funny sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This book showed how fascism is circular - how our history is shared and how quickly our anger at our own circumstances becomes hatred for others. It was hard to read at times, but that’s the point. Horror is a fantastic way to examine the world around us, and Alison knows it.

The climax of this book is harrowing and I felt nauseous reading it. What a fucking ride. The way the text splits into two… Original, terrific. 

I will say though that the idealistic ending between Alice and Ila is forced. This book should have ended on page 252. I don’t buy for a second that they could’ve escaped that house and moved on so happily. Maybe I’m pessimistic, but trauma isn’t so easily erased and radicalism can’t be so quickly undone. These two were doomed from the start. It was just too quickly wrapped up. I felt like Alison was just too fond of them to give them the ending they should have had.

 

I also think that the social commentary became too much at times. I understood the point was that all oppression is similar, but it was just a bit too much to comprehend.

That said, I will never read this book again, but I would completely recommend it. It is not for the faint of heart. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Rape, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Violence, Antisemitism

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Gun violence, Pedophilia, Excrement, Mass/school shootings, Abortion, Fire/Fire injury

Suffer the Children by Craig DiLouie

challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This is a harrowing study of what parents would do for their children. The urge to protect is not just a human instinct - indeed, these characters become so obsessed with the idea of keeping their children safe that their behaviour ultimately becomes like an animal’s. This book is all about the idea of a walking corpse that has just enough resemblance to a child to be worth loving… and ultimately; it makes you question how far you would go for your own family. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Blood

Moderate: Body horror, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Sexual content

Bath Haus by P.J. Vernon

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking

Minor: Cancer, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Violence